Child maltreatment and neglect

Abstract

This chapter discusses child maltreatment and neglect, and when data are available, this chapter disaggregates maltreatment and neglect findings for adolescents, those 12–17 years old. Child maltreatment is defined as all physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as all neglectful and exploitative acts that result in the actual or potential harm to a child's health, survival, development, or dignity (United Nations, 2022). Child neglect is defined as the failure of a parent or caretaker to provide needed food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision to the degree that the child's health, safety, and well-being are threatened with harm. Of the types of child maltreatment (i.e., neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse), child neglect ranks number one in the United States. Globally, it is estimated that nearly 1 billion children aged 2-to-17 years, have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in the past year, and of these, emotional abuse is the leading form of maltreatment globally. In each section, this chapter first will discuss what is known about the larger category of child maltreatment and then the subset of child neglect. Often overlooked in research and discussion, child neglect stands out as a multifaceted social problem with recognized ambiguity distinguishing across the recognized types. This entry profiles who suffers from child neglect, differentiates the different types of child neglect, and examines the socio-ecological contexts and individual outcomes of child neglect. This entry concludes with a discussion of policy and research implications.